REVIEW: Mortal Kombat II

Round 2! Fight! If you enjoyed playing Mortal Kombat as a child, this film will take you straight back to your childhood days.

I spent a large part of my childhood playing video games such as Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and The King of Fighters. I remember there was a pool hall and gaming spot right behind our house, and we would go there almost every day after school to challenge one another.

The truth is, I was never particularly good at Mortal Kombat, not even later on when I started playing it at home. Even so, I enjoyed every minute of the game. To this day, I still give it another go every now and then.

Those memories with my friends and my brother came flooding back the moment I watched the first fight scene in Mortal Kombat II. It felt like a huge wave of nostalgia, and I absolutely loved it. It may sound strange to say, but despite all the violence, the film made me feel like a child again.

The movie does many things right, but unfortunately it is not quite a flawless victory.

The film lacks quite a few things, but it almost makes up for them in other ways. I think the cast is very strong, and that definitely helps to keep the story engaging. Karl Urban joins the cast as Johnny Cage, and it is easy to see that much of the film revolves around him.

Adeline Rudolph also joins the sequel as Kitana. Her storyline alongside Johnny’s makes the film a little more interesting. However, Kano, played by Josh Lawson, steals every scene he appears in. His jokes had the entire cinema laughing.

The good and not so good

My biggest issue with the film is the screenplay. The story is somewhat predictable and does not really add much value to the franchise. The dialogue feels clumsy at times, and not all of the jokes land equally well. The character development, however, is not bad at all; I just wish some characters had been given more screen time.

Visually, the film looks incredible for the most part. The action sequences are well choreographed, and the fact that the fights take place across different arenas is a major plus point. The special effects occasionally feel slightly off, but fortunately they almost resemble something straight out of a video game. I also really enjoyed all the character designs, as they remain very faithful to the games.

The music works brilliantly in certain scenes, but in others it does not fit the atmosphere at all. There is a particularly strong scene between Liu Kang and Kung Lao where they play a different version of the Mortal Kombat theme song, and it was perfect.

Mortal Kombat II may not have been quite the fight I had hoped for, but despite all its flaws, I still enjoyed the film a great deal. Perhaps it is the nostalgia, or perhaps it is simply the fact that the action scenes genuinely make it feel like a video game. Either way, the film is incredibly entertaining to watch on the big screen. It may not be rich in story, but it is a fun cinematic experience. For that reason, I am more than happy to give it 3 out of 5 stars.